Gaara's dark and menacing blue eyes stared out of his office window at the black clouds rolling in across the clear night sky. Curious, he stood up allowing his pen to drop noisily to his desk as he walked toward the open glass. The wind brushed his pale face and rustled his messy auburn hair. Gaara looked at the night sky with a knowing gaze, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I know you're out there." He whispered. "What do you want?"

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Hinata sat next to the warm fire, absently watching the small fishes roasting over the open flame. If she looked indirectly at the hot flames, they would blur together and she could see the hint of a face, but the moment she tried to make out the details, the image would vanish and all she could see were bright orange flames once more. She passed the time this way for several minutes, trying to make out different shapes and images within the burning embers and fiery wood. It wasn't until the heat from the fire began to dry out her eyes that she was forced to look away.

Immediately, the darkness of the night enveloped her eyes and she could see nothing but the blurry splots of light that had been imprinted on her pupils from the fire. Eventually, they went away, and she could see the faint outline of her cousin, Neji, as he stood guard next to a tree. His back was turned to her, and his long black hair would have been hidden by the night, if it were not for his long white robes. Hinata couldn't help but smile to herself as she observed her cousin's alert figure there in the darkness. Naruto would be on watch for at least a few more hours, but Neji never rested, or counted on others around him. He still felt the strong desire to be in control, no matter who was watching over the camp. It was his biggest weakness and one of his strongest assets, but Hinata couldn't help feeling that it would hurt him in the end.

"Neji." Hinata called.

"Yes." Neji said, his voice distracted.

"Why don't you come and relax next to me. The fish is ready, and you need your rest." Hinata offered, trying to make her voice as sweet as she could.

"Not now." Neji said. "I'm not ready yet."

"It's okay if you have a bite to eat, Naruto's on watch right now. He'll warn us if somethings out there. Besides," she said with a laugh, "having him on watch is like having a hundred people at once."

Neji didn't even flinch.

"You know Neji, you're going to have to learn to let your gaurd down sometime." Hinata said, as she reached for the fish and placed the pan to the side of the fire, before leaning back against the giant tree behind her.

Nothing but silence answered her comment and Hinata looked up at the sky. As she stared at the vast sea of stars, Hinata suddenly felt small and insignificant, as if everything she had ever done and everything she ever will do was meaningless in the grand skeem of things. Discouraged by the midnight sky, Hinata tore her eyes away from the untouchable stars, only for them to fall on the shadowy figures sitting straight across from her. Through the bright embers of the fire, Hinata could make out the collared face of her dark haired teammate, as he held the pretty brunette close to his chest. Hinata absently rubbed the silver locket hanging at her chest. Her heart aching as her mind flickered through memories of the past.

"I'm going to grab some water, do you two want anything while I'm up?" Hinata asked as she jumped to her feet.

Shino and Ayame continued to whisper to one another in the dark, Hinata's words never penetrating their secret conversation. Deciding to leave them alone, Hinata made her way to her and Naruto's tent. She grabbed the small canteen snuggled in the side pocket of Naruto's pack and made her way out into the woods, her Byakugan activated.

Hinata resisted the urge to call out to her blonde haired shinobi as she stumbled over the forest floor in the dark. The glowing figures of the animals distracting her from finding his chakra. Finally, she found the warm blue chakra she had been searching for crouched up in a tree. Softly, Hinata jumped from the ground into the cover of the branches and quietly made her way toward her love. His back was turned to her and she smiled to herself as she lifted her arms to grab him. Suddenly, Naruto disappeared and Hinata felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, causing her to jump. She felt the man's arms squeeze tighter around her, so that she couldn't escape and a familiar laugh echoed in her ears.

"Naruto!" She scolded him. "Let me go!"

Naruto drew her in closer, kissing her lightly on her cheek before letting her go. Hinata couldn't help but smile as his small gesture caused her heart to stop and her stomach to fly.

"You know you like it." Naruto said with a wide grin, as he settled himself back onto the branch and pulled Hinata across his lap. She allowed him to stroke the long strands of her hair affectionately, as she closed her eyes and reveled in his warmth. Hinata felt her worries quickly fade away as she lay there, curled up in the comfort of his arms. Somehow, he always managed to offer her restless mind peace, just by being next to her.

"What's wrong." Naruto asked, his hand caressing the side of her cheek.

"Mmmm." Hinata hummed in response, her worries forgotten. "I just came to see if you were thirsty." She said lifting the canteen up in her hand.

Naruto smiled as he took the water from her hand and took a drink.

"Is that all?" He asked knowingly.

"Mmmhmm." Hinata answered, looking through the trees. Then they sat there in silence together, clinging to one another, the unspoken burden weighing heavily between them.

"I'm afraid for Neji." Hinata said quietly, turning her body so she could see Naruto's face in the moonlight.

"What do mean?" Naruto asked, his confusion written clearly on his face. "Neji is the best the Hyuga clan has to offer and he is one of the best ninja in Konoha. Why would you be afraid, he can handle almost any situation he encounters?"

Hinata rolled back onto her side and stared off into the distance.

"I don't know." Her voice was distant and uncertain. "It's just that he never rests, he's always on his guard, even when it's someone else's turn to shoulder the responsibility."

"He's always been that way, his history with your clan hasn't been a happy one. You know that just as well as I do Hinata. Of course he has more confidence in himself then others, that's what happens when a person has been on their own for most of their life."

Hinata turned to look up at Naruto as he said this and she saw the pain in his eyes. It had never occurred to her before that he might understand Neji even more than she had once thought, or that Naruto may be hiding things about himself not only from the world, but from her as well.

"Your different though Naruto." She said, her hand reaching for his exposed arm.

"Really Hinata? Neji and I aren't as different as we may seem." He said has he took another drink from the canteen.

"But you are different from Neji, Naruto!"

"How? We both protect the things we love and hold dear and we both would rather end a fight with the injury of one rather than the pain of our friends. We have both known pain and both have known loss, there is nothing we wouldn't do to stop everyone we care about from having to experience that pain as well."

"But-but you know when to step back, when to let your friends take over. Neji, Neji doesn't trust anyone, not even you Naruto. Even now, he is standing guard, scanning the vast forest with Byakugan for any intruder, any enemy we may encounter. He's done the same thing every night. He doesn't rest and I've never seen him eat any of the meals Ayame and I have made. His pain has made him paranoid and controlling. I'm afraid that he is running himself too thin, and it may cost him his life."

Naruto thought back to the past couple nights. He knew what Hinata said was true. Neji hadn't been resting. He was always on his guard, even when he was the one who was suppose to be resting. But he couldn't really reprimand the guy for his over protective behavior, after all they were up against a very worthy adversary and Hinata was too close to danger for any kind of comfort. Naruto knew Hinata meant a lot to Neji, even if he didn't know how to show it. His willingness to leave his clan and his village, without even being asked, was a symbol of that connection Neji felt with Hinata. She was probably the first real family he had ever known and Naruto could see the pain in Neji's white eyes every time he looked at Hinata and remembered that day during the chuunin exams. For that reason alone, Naruto knew Neji would do whatever it took to make it up to his cousin, just as he would do anything for the small girl laying comfortably in his lap. Of course, admitting his observations about Neji's sleeping and resting patterns would be like admitting the lack of his own, so Naruto did what he always did when he was placed in this type of position.

"If I talk to him, would that ease your mind?" Naruto asked Hinata as he wrapped his arms warmly around her and tangled her legs within his.

"Yes." Hinata said with a satisfied smile, nuzzling her face closer to his chest.

"Naruto?" She asked.

"Yes my love?"

"Do you still look for those two stars up in the sky?" She asked in wonder.

Naruto looked down at Hinata's soft, white skin and brushed her eyelids with the back of his hand.

"I don't have to." He said with a small smile. "I see them everyday." Carefully, he bent down and kissed her lightly on her forehead, before traveling down her cheeks and hovering over her lips with his own. Hinata's spine tingled as his warm breath spread over her cold skin. Hinata licked her lips in anticipation, as her heart beat rapidly inside her chest. She could feel the soft, warmth of his skin at first, as he showered her in tiny kisses, then, he caressed the side of her cheek with the palm of his hand, as he kissed her with more passion and intensity and her heart melted within her, sending a warm liquid flow throughout the rest of her body.

When he finally pulled away, Hinata let out a breath in yearning.

"I should be going." Hinata said with a yawn.

"Yes, you need your rest." Naruto said with a grin. "I don't want anything to happen to you because you didn't take care of yourself."

Hinata gave him a light kiss on the lips and jumped to the nearest tree branch, before stopping and turning around.

"Oh, Naruto?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Will you be coming to bed tonight, or will you be relying on the Kyuubi to get you through another sleepless night?" Hinata stayed on the branch long enough to see the embarrassment on Naruto's face, before she continued through the trees and disappeared into the night.

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A/N: Okay, so this is the sequel to Young Hearts, thank you to anyone who has read that story and decided to read this one too. I don't know if that means my stories are any good, or they're just that bad, lol. Anyway, please read and review, and I'll try to update as soon as possible. Although, I probably won't update this story as fast as Young Hearts because I'm working on two other stories at the moment, and yes one of them is a fanfic that has been posted on here. So again, please read and review. Thank you once again.